7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exactly as Described, September 18, 2008
This review is from: PHP Reference: Beginner to Intermediate PHP5 (Paperback)
From the very first page, the author of this book lets us know exactly its purpose - to act as an off-line reference to the hundred or so domestic PHP functions one might use in the course of writing software, and a couple of their lesser-used variants.
One of my favorite parts was the list of related functions below each description: this allows you to hyperlink your way around the book in a more semantic way than simply reading it front-to-back.
This is certainly not a book just for beginners, because I wouldn't consider output buffer functions to be used by beginners (if you don't know what I mean when I say ob_start() or ob_flush(), then you should probably pick up a copy).
This is the kind of book you should throw in your laptop bag as you get started on a new project, or keep on the shelf of your cubicle. Think about which is faster - tabbing back and forth between your browser window with the current page you're testing, and your text editor, AND the php.net site, or just having a small reference book next to your keyboard.
Also consider your ability to make notes next to functions about your own personal tricks and experiences - I always find myself digging back into my own code as a reference, but if you just had this paper version to carry with you everywhere, you could save yourself a lot of time by not having to grep through your code.
Completely worth your time and money.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great 'arms length' reference book, September 1, 2008
This review is from: PHP Reference: Beginner to Intermediate PHP5 (Paperback)
I kept getting stuck forgetting little things when coding and I like to get away from my desk a lot, so carrying a 500 page all inclusive book didn't work for me, but this fit the bill. It doesn't have everything in PHP in it, and that's a good thing, because it makes it more portable and fits 95% of my needs. Incredibly handy.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review, March 6, 2009
This review is from: PHP Reference: Beginner to Intermediate PHP5 (Paperback)
As a casual PHP coder (I pick it back up every few months to add to my websites or tweak something), I have found this book to be a perfect fit.
The author breaks the whole book down into the typical sections: String functions, Array functions, MySQL, etc. Like many other books I've purchased, I can always learn more by flipping through a chapter page-by-page, but I pick this book up more often because I can quickly get around to exactly what I need because it is focused around the functions and operators that are key to doing everything in PHP.
I actually keep a bookmark in the RegEx and Date() pages because I refer back to them so frequently to 'refresh'. It's an excellent book that hasn't disappointed me yet when I dust it off and start coding again.
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